Expulsion of Egyptian Jews (1956)
:Way Back When: Scandals meant someone actually resigned, even though every scandal was euphemistically called "Affair" Wikipedia:Template:Plitim The 1956 expulsion of Egyptian Jews was an Egyptian non-military, human rights-violating reprisal against the Israeli False Flag (WP) terrorist operation known as the Lavon Affair (WP), itself part of the Suez Crisis and the resulting background of generalized anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish attitudes in Egypt during the time of Gamal Abdel Nasser. The decree bound all Jews with relatives in Israel and those suspected as Zionist agents – nearly half of the whole community. Similar measures were enacted against British and French nationals in retaliation for the invasion. About 25,000 Jews left Egypt following the decree, urged to abandon all their property. By 1957 the Jewish population of Egypt had fallen to 15,000.Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 8 September 2011. The expulsion can be seen as part of what has come to be known as the Jewish exodus from Arab countries. However, said exodus was in the main Zionist Israeli operations, part humanitarian and part propaganda, conducted by Israel in much the same way and for the same reasons that the US conducted the Berlin airlift (WP) and the relocation to the south of the Viet Nam ceasefire line known as (WP). The 1956 expulsion, in contrast, was utterly involuntary. Background While the exodus of Egyptian Jews had begun previously, it had not been significant until 1948. In 1948, approximately 75,000 Jews still lived in Wikipedia:Egypt. Their numbers however quickly began to decrease, following the eruption of the 1948 War over the creation of Israel and the resulting local violence directed against the community. In 1951, the fraudulent Protocols of the Elders of Zion was translated into Arabic and promoted as an authentic historical document, fueling anti-Semitic sentiments in Egypt.Lewis, 1986, p. 199. In 1954, the Wikipedia:Lavon Affair served as a pretext for further persecution of Egyptian Jews. In October 1956, when the Suez Crisis erupted, President Wikipedia:Gamal Abdel Nasser brought in a set of sweeping regulations abolishing civil liberties and allowing the state to stage mass arrests without charge and strip away Egyptian citizenship from any group it desired; these measures were mostly directed the Jews of Egypt.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 579. As part of its new policy, 1,000 Jews were arrested and 500 Jewish businesses were seized by the government.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 pages 579–580. A statement branding the Jews as "Zionists and enemies of the state" was read out in the mosques of Cairo and Alexandria. Jewish bank accounts were confiscated and many Jews lost their jobs.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 581. Lawyers, engineers, doctors and teachers were not allowed to work in their professions.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 581. Expulsion Within a short time an official decree called many Egyptian Jews to leave, with their citizenship abolished. The decree was relevant to most of Egyptian Jews, especially those with free professions and relatives in Israel, suspected as Zionist agents. Thousands of Jews were then ordered to leave the country.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 581. They were allowed to take only one suitcase and a small sum of cash, and forced to sign declarations “donating“ their property to the Egyptian government.Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 8 September 2011. Foreign observers reported that members of Jewish families were taken hostage, apparently to insure that those forced to leave did not speak out against the Egyptian government. Some 25,000 Jews, almost half of the Jewish community in Egypt left, mainly for Israel, Europe, the United States and South America, after being forced to sign declarations that they were leaving voluntarily and agreed with the confiscation of their assets. Similar measures were enacted against British and French nationals in retaliation for the invasion. By 1957 the Jewish population of Egypt had fallen to 15,000.Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved on 8 September 2011. Outcome Egyptian government The British historian Wikipedia:D. R. Thorpe wrote that the imposed ending to the Crisis gave Nasser "...an inflated view of his own power". Despite the Egyptian defeat, Nasser emerged as an enhanced hero in the Arab world.Varble, Derek (2003) page 84. The American historian Derek Varble commented "Although Egyptian forces fought with mediocre skill during the conflict, many Arabs saw Nasser as the conqueror of European colonialism and Zionism, simply because Britain, France and Israel left the Sinai and the northern Canal Zone". Jewish community Nearly 15,000 Jews were still in Egypt following the expulsion. Their situation however deteriorated quickly. Following the Wikipedia:Six Day War, the community practically ceased to exist, with the exception of mostly elderly Jews. By 1972, only 500 remained in the country. Alleged involvement of former Nazis Israeli sources reported that the former Nazis from Germany were playing a leading role in carrying out the anti-Semitic campaign.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 585. A former SS Hauptführer Wikipedia:Johann von Leers played a leading role in helping to prepare and carry out the anti-Semitic laws.Laskier, Michael "Egyptian Jewry under the Nasser Regime, 1956–70" pages 573–619 from Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 31, Issue # 3, July 1995 page 585. See also *Wikipedia:Operation Ezra and Nehemiah References Category:1956 in Egypt Category:Jews and Judaism in Egypt Category:Jewish Egyptian history Category:Expulsions of Jews Category:False flag operations Category:Non-military reprisals Category:Reprisals Category:Human rights abuses Category:Human rights violations in the Middle East conflict Category:Israeli terrorism Category:Anti-Semitism Category:Nazi-Islamic collusion